What Canadian podcasts do you recommend? My podcast app is currently downloading:
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CanadaLand - It’s mostly opinion, but the host does talk about the media landscape and what it takes for Canadian news outlets to survive. Hosts occasionally shoot their mouths off and then give mea culpas.
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The Big Story - An Ontario-centric daily news show by Rogers. The host knows his audience and does decent interviews. I appreciate their ongoing focus on cost of living issues.
I’ve tried:
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Front Burner - Another daily news show. The interviews feel scripted, but there’s occasionally good stuff.
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The Loonie Hour - I tried to listen to this for its right leaning perspective, but I gave up after one of the hosts said reliable sources told him Russia would never invade Ukraine.
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Backbench Podcast - as much as I like the new host, it doesn’t feel like it offers a lot of insight.
EDIT: fixed formatting.
I try lo like the Front Burner, but the host comes off as unserious and it really makes it hard to wade through. Casual rapport is fine, but it’s difficult to strike the right note. (by way of contrast, The Daily usually manages it quite well even when it’s not Michael Barbaro).
I’m glad it’s not just me.
Front Burner seems to skim the surface off a topic, with weak hosts and annoying music.
Front Burner definitely has ups and downs depending on the topic, host, and guest, but I struggle to find a way of getting the news closer to what I want. It’s about 20 minutes on one topic which gives me enough of an overview to figure out if I really need to care or engage further while still keeping up with contemporary events. There are lots of ways to get inundated with topics without enough context to know whether to care or worry, and there are lots of deep dives for things I know I care about, but Front Burner sits in a middle ground I haven’t found the right way to replace even if it hasn’t been as strong lately.